The 'original' 49-day challenge runs across the holidays and starts Every November before Thanksgiving and finishes in January as we bring in the new year.

The summer challenge is known as the "BIG BURN" because it starts in May and runs across the entire summer - 98 days of "burning!" ...

It's no easy task to stay focused on intense training and strict eating for 4 months straight. However, this year's challenge - season 6 - had the highest completion rate of any summer challenge in Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle (BFFM) history. Hundreds finished, and were inducted into the Burn the Fat Hall of fame. Thousands of other "burners" followed all the challenge action here inside the members-only forums as the results unfolded in real-time right before their eyes.

And now, the results of the 2012 Burn the Fat Summer challenge are in the history books! The entire field of male finishers and finalists this year was stellar, but the judges finally narrowed down the pack to the top 10 and then finally to 3 finalists and one overall grand champion...

The grand prize for the grand champion: An all expenses paid luxury vacation for two to Maui, Hawaii!

Second runner-up (3rd place): Paul Brown

On day one of the Burn the Fat challenge, Paul Brown weighed 335 pounds. On day 98, he weighed 270. We're going to have to double check our record books, but we're fairly certain that this 65 pound drop is the single largest weight loss in Burn the Fat Challenge history!

It's important for us to emphasize that The Burn the Fat challenge is not a "weight loss contest." Lots of weight (pounds of fat) are burned in our challenges, of course (literally, TONS!), but the Burn the Fat challenge is first and foremost a body composition improvement contest. The person who loses the most weight does not necessarily win or place the highest. However, that also does not mean that large decreases in fat weight are not recognized and rewarded.

We also want to take this opportunity to mention that one does not have to show ripped six-pack abs at the end of their challenge to make it to the top. The Burn the Fat Challenge is about personal improvement. Everyone starts at a different point along the path, but everyone who can improve can be successful in this challenge.

It's easier for someone who starts heavy to drop a larger absolute amount of weight than someone who starts lighter, so for the challenge, relative improvement does matter. The percentage or degree of improvement from Paul's start (day 1) to finish (day 98) is one of the things that impressed us.

We also enjoyed Paul's essay. Oddly enough, Paul mentioned that he didn't think he was the best of writers. We even noticed a typo or two. Well, spell-check is good to use (lol), but we didn't think that was an issue in this case at all, and here's why: Writing a Burn the Fat Challenge essay is not about being a Hemingway. It's not about style, it's about substance. It's what you say, not how you say it. We want to see - and we want all our readers and members to see - something with hope... and heart. Everyone loves to hear an inspiring success story... (and if we reprint all of an essay, or quotes from it, in hopes of inspiring others... it's easy enough for us to edit).

The reason this is important is that many people won't enter a body transformation challenge that has an essay round, purely because they think they can't write. We've even heard people say they thought it was "unfair" that 1/3 the score is based on the essay when some people are fully capable of radical physical change but they are not professional writers. Thanks to Paul's successful top 3 win here, we can finally put that myth to rest. We can also establish for the future that the essays are a vital and permanent part of our challenge.

Paul wrote about how his attitude has changed; about the social challenges he had to overcome, and about the effect his transformation had on his family. He talked about his goals and how he knows body fat% is important, not just weight and how he is already looking ahead to what's next:

"After this challenge I looked In the mirror when I got out of the shower and I was no longer ashamed at what I saw. I almost choked up thinking why I have wasted so many years being like I was. But this time I stood there and said to myself, "Paul, with a little more hard work and a few more of these challenges, this can ALL disappear!" When my mom came to visit me near the end of the challenge, the look of shock, excitement and enjoyment on her face was priceless..."

"I would like to congratulate everyone else who completed the challenge. I believe all of us finishers are winners and I am so excited about what I have done and what everyone else here has done. And I am not saying I'm finished - this is only just the beginning! To all those reading, I wish for you to have the courage to just start or to continue on your own journeys. I am now starting on the next chapter in mine..."

Congratulations Paul, and thanks for inspiring so many others with your example!

This year's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle challenge was a record breaking season in many ways. There were more finishers for example than ever before for a 98 day ("Big Burn") challenge. There were also more record-breaking body transformations among those finishers. We saw a champion hit new levels of leanness in winning the most ripped award. You met Paul above, who set the Burn the fat world record for most weight lost during a challenge.

And now meet Tim, Amyett, who achieved a record-breaking drop in abdominal fat loss and waist line reduction. According to Tim's contest entry stats, he reduced his waist from 53.5 inches to 34.5 inches - a decrease of 19 inches!

Tim's transformation was more than a physical body change however - he also totally transformed his health. This dual achievement is what impressed the judges enough to send Tim into the Winner's circle twice. Tim, age 56 years young, also won the most transformed man over 50 award, in a field of extremely worthy 50+ competitors.

Everything you have heard about abdominal /central / visceral body fat being the most unhealthy kind is true. Fortunately, as Tim has heroically demonstrated for all to see, you can burn it off like any other fat on your body with a good plan, a positive mental attitude and hard work. The impact of ALL Tim's hard work and dedication on his health has been astounding - and truly inspiring:

"I had been diagnosed with atherosclerosis with three substantial bloc
kages, (one at 70% and 2 at 50%) and the doctor recommend stints. I felt this would be just treating the symptoms, and not a lasting change. I knew it was past time to get serious.

Along with Atherosclerosis, the effects of an indulgent life style was taking it's toll on my body in the forms of early stage Diabetes, Sleep Apnea, and Arthritis and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. I was experiencing first hand the consequences of not caring for myself, and I knew it was only going to get worse. I had vivid dreams of having a heart attack or of having bypass surgery and being strapped to a table as a masked doctor sawed open my chest... "

"Today, ALL the health problems are totally gone, except for minimal arthritis and it's getting better every day. But the best thing I've received was the confidence , the 'I Can Achieve' attitude! ...Have you lost hope? Do you think you can never change what you are? I understand to some degree what you believe. But I want to encourage you if you're reading this - to give you the hope - that if I've done it, so can you."

Meet the overall winner of the 2012 summer Burn the Fat challenge transformation contest: Casey Richardson! On day one of the challenge, Casey weighed 246 pounds. On day 98, he weighed 198 pounds - a drop of 48 pounds - ALL of it fat.

Right here in these photos you can see an example of what we would call a "total transformation." In the before photo, you don't see a clearly pre-established muscular structure where the fat on top was stripped off. You don't see someone very heavy who simply burned a very large amount of fat, and the muscle has yet to be developed. You see it all - the dramatic muscle development, muscle definition revealed AND a very large amount of body fat burned off!

The only way you can describe it is that he looks like a different person - a comment we have heard repeatedly from our readers, members and fans (One of our members even said, "Hey Tom, did you DNA test Casey to make sure he's the same guy, LOL!"). If you're a member of the Burn the Fat Inner Circle, you'll be hearing more about Casey in upcoming success story interviews, but for now, here are some of his major keys to his transformation:

In his contest essay, Casey told us that one of the keys to his success was to take this 14 week challenge as seriously as if he were preparing to step on stage for a bodybuilding or fitness competition.

As we have heard from many other finalists this year and from past champions, Casey says another key was 100% commitment to the goal and 100% commitment to the nutrition plan. It was all planned out, and he followed his plan. Although many people achieve their transformation goals allowing a 10% or even a 20% compliance leeway, Casey says that he was totally compliant to his food plan. To make it sustainable, he simply made sure NOT to cut his calories too low. He provided his body with lots of clean fuel:

"If I ate something, it was because it was making me stronger and more fit. No guilt in that, right? Carbs came from oatmeal and piles of broccoli, greens and occasional brown rice. Protein came from usual sources, as well as deer, elk, and other game meats. I monitored everything and took NO cheat meals or snacks, period!"

Another trait we see in ALL our champions: NO excuses, despite challenge, hardship or insanely busy schedules. Casey was even forced to train at home without a big and fancy gym, but he still made it happen:

As a cop, dad, coach and husband, my life is crazy. During the Challenge, there were days I went 30 hours with no sleep because of work. We had a robbery where a convenience store clerk was shot, and days like those can stretch on and on and on. I have people tell me that they don't have time, I am a prime example of not having time. If I can figure out how to do it, then anyone can.

Virtually 100% of our transformation champs also have a social support system. At the very least, they have the one here in the Burn the Fat Inner Circle. On top of that, Casey is similar to many of our other champions in that he not only got support from his family, he got his entire family involved:

"During the challenge, my family really got involved. Everyone cleaned up their eating habits. There are times to have a treat or something special, but only on occasion. High carb and empty calorie meals are a thing of the past. My wife has lost over 25 lbs, my 14 year old daughter has lost over 20 lbs and piled on lean muscle, my 17 year old daughter was already in amazing shape and now has learned from Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (BFFM) how to tweak her diet when she wants to for strength and performance. My 9 year old son asks questions like, "Is this good for me?" or "Will this make me stronger?" when eating foods. My 14 year old loved to bake treats (cookies, cakes, candies etc..) Now she has taken to the recipe page on the Inner Circle and loves making healthy meals and treats."

Congratulations Casey, and enjoy your well-earned and well-deserved grand prize vacation to Maui with your wife! We know it will be a very special and meaningful trip for the two of you, as even the thread of your challenge journal reveals.

COMING SOON to the member's-only area: The audio interview with the champion

Stay tuned burners, there is more contest coverage on the way including write-ups on the entire field of top 10 finalists and the special category awards...

If you're a current Inner Circle member, please be sure to visit our champion's journal threads, wish them a warm congratulations and tell them what you think!

YOU? The Next Body Transformation
Success Story?

Yes - YOU could be the next Burn the Fat Challenge Champion. If you follow the same success strategies that our Burn the fat champions did....

Each of our champions had their own unique approach, but there are 5 success strategies they ALL had in common, and we can give you 4 of them!

1. Proven Program. All of our champions used Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle - most importantly, they were using strategies for improving body composition - that means fat loss, not just weight loss.

2. Positive Association/ Support. All of our champions participated in a support forum using the power of association with like minded people

3. Accountability System. All of our champions used an accountability system - they "kept score" by measuring and tracking everything they wanted to improve, and then posting the results for others to see.

4. Rewards/External Motivation. All of our champions achieved their transformation during one of our official Burn the Fat body transformation challenge competitions and the prizes/rewards were pretty "juicy."

And What's Number 5?

5. Hard Work. All of our champions worked their butts off. No "magic pills" here. As Thomas Edison once said, "There is no substitute for hard work." None.

If you will provide the hard work, we'll provide the rest. If you're not a current member of the Inner Circle family yet, we invite you to become a part of our growing community.

Get the support, motivation and accountability you need to
make YOUR body transformation a reality!

Click on the links below to learn more about Inner Circle membership... and we look forward to meeting you on the members-only forums... and seeing you at the next Burn The Fat Challenge!